and keepe in the top the full breadth of
twelue foote, with in a foote or little more: and in the casting vp of
these bankes you shall cause the earth to be beaten with maules and
broad beetels that it may lye firme, fast, and leuell, and after these
bankes haue rested a yeere or more, and are sufficiently setled, you may
then at the neather end of the banke, neare to the verge of the water
plant store of Osyers, which will be a good defence to the banke, and
vpon the top and highest part of the banke you shall plant your Orchard
and fruit-trees, so that when any inundation of water shall happen, the
ditches shalbe able inough to receiue it; or else making a passage from
your Orchard into some other sewer, the water exceeding his limits may
haue a free current or passage: besides these ditches being neatly kept,
and comforted with fresh water, may make both pleasant and commodious
fish-ponds. Also you must be carefull in casting these bankes that you
doe not place them in such sort that when you are vpon one you cannot
come to the other, but rather like a maze, so that you may at pleasure
passe from the one to the other round about the ground, making of diuers
bankes to the eye but one banke in substance, and of diuers ponds in
appearance, but one in true iudgement. And thus much for the plot or
situation of an Orchard.
CHAP. II.
_Of the Nurserie where you shall set all manner of Kernels, and Stones,
for the furnishing of the Orchard._
Although great persons, out of their greatnesse and abilitie, doe buy
their fruit trees ready grafted, and so in a moment may plant an Orchard
of the greatest quantitie, yet sith the Husbandman must raise euery
thing from his owne indeauours, and that I onely write for his profit, I
therefore hould it most conuenient to beginne with the nursery or
store-house of fruits, from whence the Orchard receiueth his beauty and
riches.
This Nursery must be a piece of principall ground, either through Art or
Nature, strongly fenced, warme, and full of good shelter: for in it is
onely the first infancy and tendernesse of fruit-trees, because there
they are first kernells, or stones, after sprigs, and lastly trees.
Now for the manner of chusing, sowing, and planting them in this
nursery, I differ some thing from the french practise, who would chuse
the kernells from the cider presse, sow them in large bedds of earth,
and within a yeere after replant them in a wilde Orchard: now for m
|